Today’s Prompt was: What positive emotion do you feel most often?
My Response: Gratitude
I’m grateful for the neighbors who came immediately last night when I called them. I was frantic! Kenny, our pup, was crying. We could hear his barks and his whining, but we couldn’t find him. It sounded like it was coming from under the house. Maybe he went under the deck and got stuck on something. Maybe a rattlesnake bit him (years ago we had that happen to our Boston named Angela). We searched high and low for Kenny. No luck!
We were frantic! So we called our friends. They came. Four of them! We all searched. Still no luck.
So, we went into the house (we’d already searched there thoroughly).
When we walked in through the back door, there was a black and white nose sticking out from under Bob’s chair!! Kenny had squeezed under to fetch a toy – and he got stuck!! Whew!!!😥 We lifted the chair to release him. Gratitude? Ah yes!! 👏🏽
Thank You, Jesus!
Thank You, God, Thank You, Jesus! Thank You for neighbors, for answered prayers, for the safety of our pup! Whew!!
Remember that first picture up there of Kenny lying on a quilt? I’m grateful for it, too. Do you have a memory quilt?
I love mine! And no, Kenny doesn’t usually get to lie on it! It was a retirement gift from my teaching colleagues when I retired back in 1999. The sentiments on it and the remembrances are so precious!
Marta Garcia did the stitching and each of my colleagues at school added a piece with their name and sometimes a sentiment. “Stitched with dreams of traveling forever,” Marta wrote.
If you live in Ennis, Montana with the Madison River running through it and the spectacular Rocky Mountains as your backdrop, and people from all over the world coming here to fish and to just relax and enjoy the peace, the open spaces, the wild animals, and the proximity to Yellowstone, then you live daily with an attitude of gratitude, and guess what? Traveling forever is not a daily prayer. We are grateful that you come to us! Keep doing it!
Independence Day in Ennis, Montana is a happening!
Horses, kids, candy, vintage cars, wagons, clowns, cowboys, singers, you name it!
The Virginia City Players posted this photo on their Facebook page. Main street was crazy today!! There are thousands of visitors who flock to our town for the parade and rodeo today. As I write this, back home after a busy, delightful morning, it is hailing outside! Don’t like our Montana weather? Wait five minutes!!
Our little Ennis bursts at the seams today. Happy 4th❤️🇺🇸
Thank you, Roy & Barbara Washburn, for hosting such a wonderful morning filled with food and friends and treasured friendships. Yours is the perfect yard from which to enjoy the parade! Happy Birthday, USA! We are so grateful to be living in this Land of the Free!
Today our 9 1/2 month old pup, Kenny, received a new toy in the mail from our bonus daughter, Laina. She seems to find just the right things for us and for Kenny, and manages to send them just when we need them most. Cookies and a book for Bob. A special message and gift for me… her timing and choices are perfect! Kenny really is enjoying his new toy:
Kenny is so playful! He heard this video and it really set him off!
I hope you are having a lovely, playful start to summer, too. Kenny wears himself out and then goes to sleep. Cheers, my friends!
Happy 2nd day of Summer. I hope you’re having beautiful weather. Our rainbow tonight as beautiful as they come!!
God bless you and give you peace. We need peace in this world. Let’s create it in the corner where we are!
God bless you all… and pray with me for peace in this troubled world.
T is for Trouble! KT is for Kenny Trouble!! How long do you think it took Kenny to remove these 8 tassels?
Where did they come from?
Oh, my poor pillow!! Four tassels gone from each end!!!
I was up in my sanctuary having my peaceful time in prayer, Bible study, and devotionals. And Kenny?
He was barking at Bob to come play with him!
Bob didn’t see him sitting by the door asking to go out. A dump in the floor was the consequence. Oh my!!!
Kenny sure can get into trouble when we don’t pay attention to him.
We need to keep our noses alert to Kenny trouble!
How about you? Do you spell trouble with a capital T when you’re ignored?
Yup, me, too!
Facing Trials
In the journey of faith, we encounter various trials that test our strength, resilience and patience. The Bible reminds us that facing troubles is part of life, and rather than shunning them, we can embrace them as opportunities for growth. These challenges, while tough at the moment, can refine our character and deepen our reliance on God. By reflecting on Bible verses about troubles, we can find encouragement and hope, realizing that God walks with us every step of the way. Our “Oh My!” can change to “Oh Thanks!” as we turn in prayer with those trials. God, will You play with Kenny?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” – James 1:2-3
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10
Ah yes… God will make us strong and steadfast. But God, will You restore my pillow? And what about this rambunctious Kenny? Oh my, will You send over a playmate for him? Oh, and while You are at it, will you send over a buyer for our kayak? It’s too heavy for Bob to manage it these days. We took it down from its hooks on the garage ceiling… and it’s sitting outside waiting for the right person to come and buy it … and enjoy many years of kayaking fun (just as we have).
Kenny would love to go out on Ennis Lake with it. Wouldn’t you? Oh my! I need to do my French lesson and this pup wants to play. Come play with him!!
Sending playful fun your way. Hugs, too… from JanBeek
Playful KennyNot just any dog……can make this guy smile like this!
Yup, in our house, the best pet is a Boston Terrier …
Yesterday we had him neutered. Coming out from the anesthetic, the cries were so pathetic!Today he is having digestive problems… but currently he’s resting. Thank God!Here’s Lacey! My family in Maryland thinks this is the best pet ever!
“We cannot escape the frustrations of this life. It is wise to lean on the Lord for help and guidance…”
Message from When God Thinks of You, He Smiles, a book of 365 devotions from Broadstreet Publishing. I received this as a gift last week from my “dear bonus daughter,” Elaina. Each page has a scripture, a commentary, and ends with a prayer. Boy Howdy, I needed this one today!
“Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NCV)
Ah yes, reach your hand out. Touch me. Assure me. Encourage me! I am frustrated and need to remember no one is promised a seamless life. But the strange thing is: I invited this frustration into my life!!
What was I thinking? The dead of a Montana winter is not the time… not the time to get a new puppy who has not been crate-trained, let alone house-trained!
Oh, I can be all smiles when he’s in my lap and feeling lovable and wanting to be cuddled! But, believe me, Kenny is a 6 1/2 month old 12 pound ball of energy who has decided his crate is his bathroom and our floor is his toilet – – Help!
My devotional today said, “Prayer gives us strength when trials… come our way.” Believe me, I have prayed at length about this pup! The devotional said, “When you struggle, it doesn’t mean your faith is lacking. Even when you faithfully follow God… life can still be rocky.”
I need to put this pup struggle in perspective! It’s not life or death. We will survive. Count your blessings, Jan, because he is smart and will learn… and you are smarter and can teach! Be patient!
I may have told you earlier that my friend, Terry, sent me this book: “How Dogs Think.” The cover photo looks just like Kenny must have looked at 2 or 3 months… and the subtitle of the book is: “Inside the Canine Mind.” It’s a TIME special edition. Surely this will have some good advice to add to all the things my friends are saying… and Isaiah said it, too: “I will make you strong and help you…”
The prayer at the bottom of the devotional today was: “Gracious One, thank you for the faithfulness of your love… I don’t want to spend my life worrying or full of fear. Empower me and encourage me when I struggle.” Amen!
It is three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables.
Here is my news in a Sijo:
Our six-month Boston puppy, Kenny, arrived on Saturday He is not house trained, nor crate trained, so don’t turn your back But he’s so cute, cuddly and loveable that we’ll keep him!
Only once have we seen his ears straight up!
No, this is not him. He’d never tolerate a hat! But ain’t she cute? We love Boston Terriers!!
He loves that chew toy… and stretches out full length to get it! That’s a long body for a six-month old! He already weighs nearly 12 pounds. Gonna be a big boy!
Oh, he’s squirming… Time to take him out. But it’s snowing and ccccold! Oh Kenny, I don’t want to go out either! But we better. See ya later.
Today’ Guideposts devotional compared the two animals and explained why Lions are King.
Sometimes I don’t relate to either of those cats! This morning I felt more like a monkey! 🐵 Sitting around waiting for our new Boston puppy to arrive – selecting toys and a dog bed & blankets! “Kenny” should arrive around Feb. 6 or 7!!Named Kennedy by his Missouri breeder, we’ll call him “Kenny.”What animal are you identifying with today?
